1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device including an asymmetric electrode arrangement in which a plurality of electrodes are asymmetrically arranged in a vertical or horizontal direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chip-type semiconductor devices using silicon or compound semiconductors that are manufactured into various electronic components have been widely used. A plurality of semiconductor devices that are formed on wafers are conventionally diced into a symmetrical shape like a rectangle. The rectangular shape is chosen due to a limitation of a dicing method and manufacturing costs. Subsequent to the dicing process, each of the diced semiconductor devices may be assembled in a package or directly installed on a system without packaging.
When a semiconductor device is assembled into a package, electrical connections between a plurality of electrodes arranged on a surface of the semiconductor device and electrodes of package components (e.g. lead frames) should be accurate in order for the semiconductor device to properly operate. If the electrodes of a semiconductor device and the electrodes of a package component are not accurately connected with each other, the semiconductor device or the system the semiconductor device is integrated into may be damaged. For instance, an expensive system on which the semiconductor device is mounted may be harmed where the system uses a high voltage and a high current if an accurate connection of the electrodes is not achieved during integration of the semiconductor device.
In instances where a semiconductor device is mounted on a system without any other packaging components, the semiconductor device should be mounted more accurately. This is because the semiconductor devices are manufactured in a symmetric shape like a rectangle, and the semiconductor devices with a symmetric shape, such as a rectangle, may easily be inverted in a vertical or horizontal direction while mounting the semiconductor device. Where the semiconductor device is mounted in an inverted condition, the electrical connection between the electrodes of the semiconductor device and the electrodes of the system may be inaccurate, which may cause a short electric circuit in the system and thereby increase the potential to damage the overall system.